Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
RIVERVIEW, Fla. - A third suspect connected to the August murder of a 42-year-old Riverview woman has been arrested.
What we know:
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested Andre Lamont Gerhardt, 33, on Tuesday in connection with the death of Hiojaira Velez-Bonilla.
Detectives said that Gerhardt helped co-defendant Arnaldo Citron, 43, and co-defendant Giselle Santiago-Bonilla, 38, in transporting and disposing of the victim's body in Pinellas County. The co-defendants were arrested in August 2025.
Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
After reviewing the evidence with the State Attorney’s Office, additional charges were approved for Gerhardt and a warrant was obtained.
The backstory:
The investigation began when a man showed up to an HCSO district office and told a deputy that he knew where to find a body in Pinellas County.
The man, according to deputies, also disclosed that evidence had been left at other locations throughout Hillsborough County.
That individual then led investigators to a site near the Gandy Bridge at the Weedon Island Preserve, where St. Pete police and medical examiners assisted in recovering the victim and processing the scene.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Arnaldo Cintron, 42, stabbed Bonilla during an argument over bills at a home they shared on Maybrook Ave. in Riverview earlier this month.
The victim's boyfriend, who claimed to have witnessed the murder, told detectives that Cintron and his girlfriend, 37-year-old Giselle Bonilla, forced him to help clean up the crime scene and drive the victim's car to dump her body in the Weedon Island Preserve in Pinellas County.
The witness told investigators that Cintron and Giselle Bonilla threatened to kill both him and the victim's son if he didn't help cover up the crime.
Cintron was charged with second-degree murder with a weapon, unlawfully holding or moving a dead human body in unapproved conditions, tampering with physical evidence and tampering with a witness.
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Giselle Bonilla was charged with tampering with physical evidence, unlawfully holding or moving a dead human body in unapproved conditions and tampering with a witness, and accessory after the fact.
Gerhardt was arrested earlier this week and charged with unlawfully holding or moving a dead human body in unapproved conditions, felon carrying concealed weapon, accessory after the fact, and burglary of an occupied conveyance.
What they're saying:
"From the very beginning of this investigation, our detectives made a commitment to pursue every lead and hold every individual accountable for their role in this horrific crime," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "The arrest of this third suspect sends a clear message: no matter how long it takes, we will not stop working until justice is served."
The Source: This article was written with information from a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office press release and previous FOX 13 News reports.